Mein Herz Brennt
by ElfCollaborator
Summary: The second in the "Weiss, set to Rammstein" songfic series. "Now, dear children, pay attention/I am the voice from the pillow/I have brought you something/a bright light on the heavens/my heart burns" A look into Weiss' childhood and how the Ice Princess became so cold. Rated T for themes, language, and some violence. Copyright goes to Rammstein and Rooster Teeth.


**A/N: This is the second of the 'Weiss, set to Rammstein' series of songfics. This one is based off 'Mein Herz Brennt' from the Mutter album. Read and review.**

**DISCLAIMER: The lyrics belong to Rammstein, the characters to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum.**

Mein Herz Brennt

_Nun liebe Kinder gebt fein acht._

_Ich bin die Stimme aus dem Kissen._

_(Now, dear children, pay attention _

_I am the voice from the pillow)_

Weiss was always the most attentive child. She always picked up on things. Always; her teachers had always said that she was one of the most intuitive children they'd taught; a prodigy, if they would. She picked up on things that others didn't; fine details, unnoticeably small changes.

So, when her father came home one night- he hadn't been home in two weeks- a lot more subdued than usual, the young girl, a mere child at the time, picked up on it near instantly. Clearly concerned, Weiss ran up to her father, a tall, imposing man, with a head of white hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed utterly soulless- or so critics of the Schnee Dust Company would claim, owing to their unsavoury practices.

Clutching a part of her father's trousers, the young girl inquired innocently.

_"Daddy, what's wrong?"_

Much was wrong, owing to the fact that, after the resulting outburst, Weiss was sent to bed sobbing, wondering what she had done wrong to anger her father.

_"Young girl, you know just what is wrong! This whole damn place is wrong! Didn't you hear about it?"_

She didn't know that it was just the beginning.

* * *

_Ich hab euch etwas mitgebracht,_

_hab es aus meiner Brust gerissen._

_(I have brought you something_

_I ripped it from my chest)_

After that day, things changed in the Schnee household. Outwardly, nothing had changed; Schnee Sr. still spoke with his daughter, no reports of any disturbances, and Weiss was still doing as well as she was expected to be.

Nothing was exactly as met the eyes, as it never is.

The girl was still dead set on making her father happy- after all, he wouldn't be shouting and cursing at her if he wasn't, right?- and so threw herself into her education and her training.

No matter what she did, nothing seemed to work. Her father, when she saw him, was always in a foul mood, when he was actually speaking to her. She still hadn't figured out why he was in such a terrible state, only that she needed to fix it.

But no matter how much medals she earned, no matter how much certificates Signal handed out to her, no matter how much lauding her teachers had heaped upon her, it was always the same.

_"So, girl, have you done what I have asked of you?"_

_ "Yes, father. I've done what I ca-"_

_ "No. You have not. You are still behind what we expect of you, Weiss. Far behind."_

_ "But-!"_

_ "NO!"_

* * *

_Mit diesem Herz hab ich die Macht,_

_die Augenlider zu erpressen._

_Ich singe bis der Tag erwacht,_

_ein heller Schein am Firmament._

_Mein Herz brennt!_

_(With this heart I have the power,_

_to blackmail the eyelids._

_I sing until the day awakes,_

_a bright light on the heavens._

_My heart burns!)_

The land of dreams was once her refuge. Even when the day was terrible, when everything conspired to make her miserable, Weiss could always rest easy in the knowledge that her dreams would comfort her.

However, it wasn't to be.

Soon, her once peaceful dreams were twisted; partially by her own worries, partially by her father's increasingly oppressive attitude to her, and partially to her own profound sadness. One night, the heiress recounted, she had a nightmare as such that she awoke screaming.

* * *

_Weiss stood alone, on a dark, marble floor. Nothing but darkness could be seen; she could barely see the floor- and the only light came from above her, in the form of a shining orb of light._

_ In her hands was the training foil she was so fond of using in her fencing classes. No Dust attachments; she hadn't reached an age where she'd be able to use them effectively. All she relied on were her skills at duelling._

_ All around her, growls came from the dark, seemingly accusing her, cursing her. The girl cowered slightly, but remembered what she'd been told- foot back, foil extended, straight posture._

_She stood up as strong as she could, despite being utterly scared._

_ And so the first beast came. It was large, feral-looking, with angry, red eyes that leered down upon her. An Ursa, she remembered. A Grimm._

_ The Ursa leaped at her, attempting to catch her with a brutal blow from its paw. Weiss deftly stepped to the side and stabbed it in the back. With a scream, the Grimm disintegrated into shadows, and another came. And another._

_ Weiss backed up slightly, and met with a wall of coarse rough fur; another Ursa was behind her, snarling. She fell to the side with a yelp, and even more of the bear-like Grimm appeared._

_ As they rounded upon the girl, Weiss finally began to understand her tormentor's taunts._

_"You're nothing. Useless, pathetic!"_

_"Not a true Schnee. A true Schnee would have tried harder!"_

_"Why don't you put more effort into things, girl? Do you not understand how important this is?!"_

_"This isn't what I expected of you, Weiss."_

_"You need to live up to our family's expectations. Second place is never good enough."_

_ She recognized them all as her father's criticisms. Just then, the mask that hid the faces of the Grimm all melted off, to her horror, and she screamed as it hit her._

_ ALL of them were her father._

* * *

That wasn't the worst thing that night, at least. No, the worst thing was when her father came in to see what was the problem, to find his daughter screaming, in tears, clutching her bedcloths tightly.

She thought he was there to make her happy again, to comfort her, to show that he cared.

_"Keep quiet, will you? I am trying to sleep!"_

* * *

_Sie kommen zu euch in der Nacht,_

_Dämonen ,Geister, schwarze Feen._

_Sie kriechen aus dem Kellerschacht,_

_und werden unter euer Bettzeug sehen._

_(They come to you in the night,_

_demons, ghosts, black fairies._

_They creep out of the cellar shaft,_

_and will look under your bedding.)_

When she was slightly older, Weiss had the opportunity to finally see how things worked, how her company acquired the Dust they were known to collect. She'd accepted it with a nod when she'd heard it from one of her father's aides. She was to join him in the nearby hotel, to rest for a bit, before being shown the mines.

When she'd seen them, she was shocked. Within the mines were Faunus, the other race with which humans 'shared' the land of Vytal. That wasn't what had shocked her.

What had was that they were forced to work in such miserable conditions. They were covered in dust, sweat, and had almost no protective garments. One particular Faunus, a large man with indigo cat ears, and piercing yellow eyes, simply stared at her. Part of it was pleading, asking for mercy.

But part of it was hatred.

* * *

Later that night, when they had left the mines, the heiress confronted her father about it.

_"Father, why are they working in such terrible conditions? Are they employees, or slaves?"_

_ "Weiss, they are Faunus. That is all you need to know."_

_ "I can see they're Faunus, but why do they need to-"_

_ "Because they robbed ME, girl!"_

Weiss was taken aback by this.

_"W-what do you mean, they robbed you?"_

_ "Them and their damned White Fang. Constantly robbing my shipments. Claiming it's for the greater good, for the respect of the Faunus._

_ What a load of SHIT._

_ Those Faunus down there? They were White Fang insurgents. They were caught stealing from MY warehouses. I put them to work mining Dust for me. Is it not a fair trade?"_

_ "But fathe-"_

_ "What would YOU know anyway, girl? You haven't the mind for business, let alone the resolve! You should know by now that the Faunus are not to be trusted, that they are all a bunch of thieves and LIARS._

_ And if you DARE sympathise with them again, I will disown you, you hear me? You will no longer be a Schnee, nor will I recognise you as my daughter! Understood?"_

Weiss, holding back tears in an attempt to look strong, nodded.

* * *

_Nun liebe Kinder gebt fein acht,_

_Ich bin die Stimme aus dem Kissen._

_Ich hab euch etwas mitgebracht,_

_ein heller Schein am Firmament._

_Mein Herz brennt!_

_(Now, dear children, pay attention,_

_I am the voice from the pillow._

_I have brought you something,_

_A bright light on the heavens_

_My heart burns!)_

Since that day, she forced herself to believe what her father had instilled in her, no matter the costs. She tried to make him proud, to no avail.

Anything to make her father proud. Anything.

One day, she started to believe her own lies, her own façade.

And so her heart burned slowly away.

* * *

_Sie kommen zu euch in der Nacht,_

_und stehlen eure kleinen heißen Tränen._

_Sie warten bis der Mond erwacht,_

_und drücken sie in meine kalten Venen._

_(They come to you in the night,_

_and steal your small hot tears_

_They wait until the moon awakes_

_and put them in my cold veins.)_

Her dreams became even more filled with twisted promises of better times, horrible reminders of her father's temper, and even that longing that Weiss had, even now, as a nearly full grown woman, that things might get better.

Her days were filled with nothing but constant drilling; singing, fighting, teaching. Her once friendly teachers had gone, to be replaced with cold, strictly professional instructors her father had selected. He'd seen that her performance had gone down, and, after a long beating down one night, he'd concluded that it was to do with her incompetent instructors. He replaced them.

The heiress was subjected to hellish training, drilling, and caustic criticism were she to slip up even once. Her singing instructor was the worst; a shrill, tiny woman with the face of a squashed frog, her temper was even worse than her father's, and her voice was harsher than her frame belied.

_"No, girl! That is NOT how you hit high notes."_

_ "I'm TRYING to!"_

_ "This is how you do it, not THIS."_

_ "I already tried that, madam!"_

_ "Well, clearly, you aren't trying enough!"_

Weiss couldn't turn to anyone. Her father was distant, her servants were more so. She lacked friends. Her instructors were simply sadists, who seemed to want to see her break, to see her shed tears, and then use it to sustain themselves.

Almost like Grimm would.

With a lack of people to turn to, Weiss hardened up. Her burning heart was replaced with cold, frozen resolve. Her tears, once plentiful, were nowhere to be seen. Eventually, even her idealism shattered.

Eventually, all of her instructors deemed her satisfactory, and, at long last, after several long years, Schnee Sr. finally hugged Weiss, by then a young adult, and told her he was impressed with her. He showered her with praise, sold her potential to business rivals to taunt them with the new heiress of the Schnee Dust Company.

Weiss didn't care anymore.

All that was left was a cold, broken girl, her once warm heart burnt to ashes and then frozen.

* * *

_Nun liebe Kinder gebt fein acht,_

_Ich bin die Stimme aus dem Kissen._

_Ich hab euch etwas mitgebracht,_

_ein heller Schein am Firmament._

_Mein Herz brennt!_

_(Now, dear children, pay attention,_

_I am the voice from the pillow._

_I have brought you something,_

_A bright light on the heavens_

_My heart burns!)_

**A/N: On that note, I feel horrible for breaking Weiss so hard. While I go off and make myself wonder what kind of horrible person I have to be to break someone, please leave your reviews and thoughts!**


End file.
